Maruti Ciaz : Official Review

This is a discussion on Maruti Ciaz : Official Review within Official New Car Reviews, part of the Team-BHP Reviews category; Bangalore Ex showroom for ZDI (O) is at 10.21L taking it more than the dreaded 10L mark. Why is there ...

I just got back from the test drive. The car is not a head turner and sure to get losts in a crowd but a nice decent looking design. Only the zdi was available. Zdi+ will take 4 to 5 months is what I heard. Thats too long a wait but left with no choice until they figure out the infotainment system.

Drive impression:
Driver seat is not comfortable to fit nor adjust as low as some might prefer but it tranfers comfort on uneven roads.
Back seat is also not as comfortable as the City. Tall passenger has no under thigh and head room
Big car feel.
Rare legroom is comparable to the sunny, there is a lot of space
Spacious interiors
Dash board with basic audio system looks premium
White lit speedo looks nice at night
Orange lit buttons not so appealing
Plastic quality is good enough
Drive is truely smooth and good.
Very comfortable to drive around city
Noice levels are less inside the cabin
Swallows potholes amazingly
Accelerates fast
Gear knob positioning is perfect and well mated with the engine
AC is well powered to even take Chennai heat.

It scores 75/100

But what a terrible waiting period. There is absolutely no concession for someone who booked a month back. Why did they take a prebooking, is still a question unanswered even by the sale representstive.
Maruti is taking its own sweet time and the typical unorganised manner of execution.
Truely disappointed by the waiting period and no availablity of zdi+

Dear Crazy Driver, you are right. The only saving grace for the city in the lower spec version is the ABS and the Driver Airbag. IMO it's high time car manufacturers put safety above other creature comforts. Kudos to Honda, VW and the likes for have taken the right step.

Also, could you please double check on the touchscreen infotainment system? The City has it in its top 2 variants and the Ciaz doesn't offer them.

The 5" screen on the City is not a touch screen, but a dual din display. This is specifically mentioned in our official review.

Ciaz offers a 7" touchscreen on the Z+ versions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adarsh76

The Honda City do have "Driver Side Window One Touch Up/Down with Pinch Guard".

Thanks for the clarification.

From the official brochure of the City - it looked like auto up/down is there, but without anti-pinch. Its not mentioned in our official review either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

The price list above shown for Bangalore shared by Volkman has V, V+, Z & Z(O). There is no mention of Z+ but your table shows 5 variants instead of 4 and the odd one is Z+. What am i missing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Excellent comparo. A minor correction - The Z_I (O) variants and the Z_I+ variants are the same.

Z(O) and Z+ variants are different and this is stated in the official brochure.
"Z+ variants in both petrol and diesel will be available shortly and will have all the features of the Z-O variant and SmartPlay system"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visaster

Maruti is taking its own sweet time and the typical unorganised manner of execution.
Truely disappointed by the waiting period and no availablity of zdi+

Putting A + B together, i think the infotainment system might be designed and supplied by Bosch - who are struggling with strikes and lockouts at their end.

The Zxi/di variants come w fabric+leather upholstery. What does this mean? What is draped in leather and what in fabric? What about seats - are they leather or fabric? Thanks.

The seats are actually a combination of Leather and Fabric on the Z Variants. Apologies I didn't click any pictures, but to give you an indication; the edges or the corners (as highlighted in the image) of the seat are Leather (Leatherette?) and the actual back rest,seat are fabric.

Excellent review with lot of details. Maruti has packed Ciaz with lot of features but then missing out on rear seat under-thigh support, probably a sun roof, DRLs and cruise control for its top end variants would have pitched it somewhere close to the Honda City. Knowing the fate of its predecessor (the Sx4 and the Kizashi) which either lacked the finesse & features or correct pricing respectively, it still seems IMO a battle against too many odds for Ciaz.

Last edited by GTO : 7th October 2014 at 15:12.
Reason: Strictly no acronyms when referring to cars. Thanks

The Ciaz has not created the hype the Swift or even the Ecosport generated prior to or post the launch. The car, though loaded to the hilt, is not so exceptional or awe inspiring in toto. But is going to be a hit being a Maruti and a very very VFM product with a killer price tag.. As one who is scouting for a new car I am not excited to grab a copy.

Further, it is likely that this pricing would continue till Maruti gets a bigger diesel power plant.

I am looking for a comparative between the Ciaz VXi and the Verna 1.4 CX. There are ads showing price cuts for the Verna with base 1.4 now offering 6.81 lakhs in this morning's Hindustan Times. Also, in the past also, I've found Hyundai dealerships to be more responsive and customer friendly especially if you tell them you've just come from a Maruti test drive (happened with a friend who I had persuaded to look at a Swift and she ended up buying the i10 Grand mainly because the dealer staff were way better).

I am so close to cancelling the Ciaz VXi booking and asking for a refund that it is not even visible, the gap, but then, what in lieu, Verna CX? Or another Swift and 3-box be forgotten?

Missing petrol review badly. No idea why our team didn't get one for test drive.

Just read today that Maruti has bagged 12,000 bookings already. Not a bad start at all. I am sure Maruti will sell 5K cars per month at least for first 1 year. So no discounts will be on offer as some people were dreaming of. Overall package looks good. Very good upgrade for Swift, Dzire, SX4 owners. I am sure Maruti loyalists will buy this car. Design is very classy & i liked it over City & Verna, which looks design overdone to me. Too many curves.

...yet with the 1.3L, it's an average performer on the road.
...
Stomp on the accelerator pedal and progress can be best described as "not so urgent". It is adequate for most users, but those looking for excitement will be disappointed. There is definite turbo lag, although it isn't too noticeable in the lower gears.
...

The Ciaz diesel is no scorcher, but most people will find its performance to be acceptable. This car is for those with a sedate driving style. Enthusiasts are likely to give the Ciaz a miss

I know that the 0-100 timings may not have been measured, but how much do you think this would be, by gut feel? Would it be sub 12 seconds, as supposedly claimed by Maruti in one of the ACI reviews? Personally, I think it would be more than 13.5 seconds.

Also, what would be a comfortable cruising speed, before this engine starts getting strained? Thanks!